Baldwin City Lake entrance is off N 100 Road, about ¼ mile east of E 1800 Rd.
Created by Spring Creek, it supplied water to growing Baldwin City and was recreational center.
- Individual photos and full text of article is available below.
- First printed in Baldwin City Community News, Sept. 15, 2022. Reprinted with permission.
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Photos:
Text of Article
Treasures From The Kansas Room By Marta Jardon, Santa Fe Trail Historical Society – Baldwin City Community News, Sept. 15, 2022.
What’s Under the Old Baldwin Lake? – A Brickyard, of Course!
The Baldwin City Lake, or the “Old Baldwin Lake,” is located southwest of the city. Not everyone is aware of its existence, but it is an important part of town history. This Lake was created to supply water to the growing town of Baldwin. Articles in The Baldwin Ledger began discussing the use of this area in 1912, several years before this water reservoir was created. This researcher was unable to establish the exact date the lake was formed.
Spring Creek supplies the springs for the Baldwin City Lake. Before the creation of the lake, Spring Creek supplied the Frank Jardon brickyard – which remains under the lake today! While Frank Jardon followed in the footsteps of his grandfather in establishing this brickyard, he was primarily a farmer and a breeder and trainer of racehorses. Frank’s bricks can still be seen today in the “Palmyra Lofts” building at 6th and High Streets and in the beautiful home he built at the southeast corner of E 1800 and N 150 Roads.
Frank’s grandfather, Celestin Jardon, came to the US from France in 1853. He settled in the town of Prairie City (southwest of current Baldwin City) in the winter of 1856. By May of 1858, he and Constant Butel (also from France) were “preparing a yard to manufacture brick” per the Prairie City newspaper. Nothing remains of this first Jardon brickyard, but bricks from Celestin’s yard can be seen on the exterior walls of the Xavier Jardon home at 1422 N 200 Rd. (Xavier Jardon was Celestin’s brother). It is unknown when this brickyard closed.
One of Celestin Jardon’s sons was Xavier Pierre. His son, Frank, was born in 1872. The family moved to the Spring Creek area around 1900.
The Frank Jardon brickyard appears to have been started around 1900 or so. Spring Creek’s main branch ran north-south, almost through the center of the current lake. The east branch of the creek joined this branch just west of the current lake bridge, forming a “Y.” The brickyard was located in the “Y.” The clay for the bricks came from the north side of the east branch of the creek. Use of the correct clay was important. Clay containing too much lime could cause the bricks to crack when heated. The clay and water were mixed in a huge mixing vat (10 -15 ft across x 2-3 ft deep). Horses walking in circles around the vat provided the power to mix the clay and water to the correct consistency. The mixture was placed in molds and left to dry. The bricks were then stacked in a kiln with room for fire to go between each brick. The bricks were fired continuously with a wood fire for about 3 weeks, then left to cool.
Frank’s beautiful brick house was built around 1904. It contained about 30,000 bricks! It was two stories high, had a full basement, and had eight rooms – each 12’ x 12’ with high ceilings. The walls were built of three layers of brick with two dead air spaces in between to create warmth in the winter and coolness in the summer. The bathroom had the first bathtub in the area, also a wash bowl – but no toilet! (Frank thought people shouldn’t use the toilet in the house.) Wood or coal burning stoves, sliding doors, bay windows, closets, wainscoting halfway up the walls, and wallpaper were some of the luxuries in the house. Three rooms (parlor, dining room, downstairs bedroom) had pewter chandeliers which each held five lightbulbs! The materials for the house cost about $1000. Frank sold his racehorse, Black Ace, to pay for them.
Frank Jardon’s brick house (1809 N 150 Rd.) is still beautiful today. Drive by and check it out – it is a private residence. Then go visit the Old Lake – the entrance is off N 100 Road, about ¼ mile east of E 1800 Rd. Fishing is good, a frisbee golf course is on site, and walking trails are available. The area is rustic, so take your bug spray and good walking shoes. Have your camera ready – because the lake is surrounded by gorgeous scenery!
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Past “Treasures from The Kansas Room” articles are now available at https://santafetraildouglas.org/baldwin-local-area-history/
or look under the “Baldwin & Local Area History” tab at www.santafetraildouglas.org.
Looking for Baldwin or local history? Or want to contribute to it? Come to The Kansas Room!
The Santa Fe Trail Historical Society of Douglas County has been preserving and promoting the history of the Baldwin, Vinland, and Southern Douglas County area in addition to the Trail since 1967. Visit the website at www.santafetraildouglas.org.
–Updated 1/2025
